Silo door and lock



Sept. 30 1924.

F. J. OBERER SILO 4DOOR AND LOCK Filed June 20, l

vnu

A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 30, 1924-..

UNITED sr reisen eri-ties.

FREDOLIEN J. OBERER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFRNA, ASSIG-NOR T0 NATIONAL TANK n PEER CG., 0F FRFILAND, OREGON, it. GRRAWIEUN Ol? OREGON.

SIL@ DOOR AND LOCK.

Application filed .Tune 20, 1922.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRnDoLrnN d". (lernen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Silo Doors and Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to silo construction, and has particularly to do with means for drawing a silo door tightly against the sides of the door opening, and locking the door in place. It is well known that the shrinliing and swelling of a silo ,throws the various parts out of normal adjustment, so that cracks are formed around the doors, and the consequent entrance of air will spoil the ensilage. lt is therefore of the utmost importance that ythe silo door be air tight when closed.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide an improved Silo door` having a hinge construction adapted for automatic drawing of the door into air-tight contact with the jambs of the silo, when the door is swung to closed position. rllhe construction also provides for adjustment of the hinge connection, so as to draw the door toward the jambs, when found necessary through excessive shrinkage.

It is a further object of the invention to provide locking means for the door so arranged as to draw the same` tightly against the door opening, and'thereby further insure an air tight construction, irrespective of shrinkage or expansion of the silo members. Y

The invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

' Fig. l is a front elevation of a silo door construction, embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. j

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4L is a section on the line 4-4 of FiOzB, showing the door swung open.

The staves of a silo are shown at l, and the door front is provided with the vertical jambs 2. Horizontal cross bars 8 divide the door front into a number of individual door openings, and doors 4i are provided for the respective openings. Y

The doors are hinged upon the inside of the silo, and the hinge connections are pro- Serial No. 569,659.

vided for by recesses formed in the inner surface of one of the jambs 2,' between adjacent door openings. `Members 6 are mounted in these recesses as by bolts 7, and the recesses are of such depth as to permit of adjustment of members 6 therein, so that the latter may extend to a greater or less extent into the interior of the silo.

Sockets 8 are formed in the upper and lower surfaces of members 6, at the portion of thellatter which project into the interior of the silo, and plates 9 are lined upon the tops and bottoms of doors Il adjacent one side edge thereof, said plates having pins l() projecting therefrom beyond the doors, and adapted to be received iny the sockets 8, so as to form vertical hinge mountings for the doors.

rEhe pins ofthe hinge connections are loose in their sockets, and at one point on their peripheries, said pins have enlargements 1l. rlhe walls of sockets 8 have similar enlargements l2 at one point thereon.l rlhe enlargements lli-l2 are so disposed as to engage when the doors are swung to closed position, and as a consequence of the abutment of said enlargements, the pins 10 are shifted in their sockets toward the sides of the door openings, and the doors are thereby automatically drawn tight against their openings when said doors are swung shut.

lf the contraction or expansion of the silo members is such, as to render this automatic tightening of the doors insuflicient to prevent the formation of cracks, the entire hinge constructions may be shifted, by drawing members 6 further into their recesses, through the tightening-of bolts 7, in order to insure an air-tight construction.

Fastening means lfor the doors are pron vided' at'the swinging side edges of the same, said fastening means comprising bolts l5 slidable in il-shaped brackets 16 formed at the end of steps l? mounted on cleats18 extending across the outer 'faces of the doors, preferably adjacent the tops and bottoms of the same.

Contact bloc is 19 are mounted on the door jamb in alinement with bolts l5, so that when the latter are projected they will engage sait1i blocks to firmly hold the doors in closed position. rEhe contact bloc is and bolts are so disposed as to afford a snug sliding engagement, and thereby tightly draw the doors to closed position, an the ends of the bolts are preferably curved outwardly as shown at 20, for ready engagementv of said bolts with the contact blocks, and a continuing wedging tightening engagement as the bolts are projected.

The operating means for each bolt, preterably comprises a lever 2l extending outwardly from the door, and pivoted on cleat i8 as shown at 22, said lever having a slot 23 adapted to receive an upturned inner end 2li provided upon the bolt l5. As a consequence the bolts may be readily manually retracted, or projected into locking position.

I have thus provided a silo door construction arranged whereby swinging of the door to closed position will automatically tightly draw the door against the frame of its opening, and also adapted for shitting of the hinge connections to compensate for excessive contraction or expansion et the parts.

.The invention also provides locking means for the door, so arranged as to tightly close the door and thereby afford an air-tight construction.

lVhile I have illustrated and described but one practical embodiment oi the device, it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the construction, combination, and arrangementoit iarts, without departing'from the spirit or the invention.

' What is claimed is:

l. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door opening, of a hinged door adapted to close said opening, said hinge means having cooperating abutments arranged to automatically draw said doorV against the door opening as the door is swung to closed position.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door opening, of a hinged door adapted to close said opening,

said hinged means having` cooperating abutments larranged to automatically draw the .hinged edge of the door against the door opening as the door is swung to closed position, and fastening means at the opposite edge of said door adapted for wedgino` engagement to tightly seat said edge ot the door against said opening.

3. In ardevice of the character described, the combination with a door opening, oi' a hinged door adapted to close said opening, said hinge means having cooperating abutments arranged for automatic transverse shifting of the axis thereoil as the door is swung to closed position, so as to tightly seat said door against said opening, and means for fastening said door in closed position.

4. In a device ot the character described, vthe combination with a door opening, of a hinged door adapted to close said opening,

said hinge means having'cooperating abutments arranged for automatic transverse shifting of the axis of said hinge as the door is swungto closed position, so as to tightly seat said door against said opening, and means for transversely adjusting said hinge connection.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door opening, ot a hinged door adapted to close said opening, said hinge means including a socket and a pin loosely rotatable in said socket, said pin and socket having cooperating abiu'meuts adapted to engage when the door is closed, for transverse shifting of the axis ol'i said hinge so as to draw the door against said door opening.

(i. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door opening, of a hinged door adapted to close said opening, said hinge means including a socket and a pin loosely rotatable in said socket, said pin and socket having cooperating abutments adapted to engage when the door is closed, for transverse shitting of the axis of said hinge so as to draw the door against said door opening, and means for transversely adjusting said hinge connection.

7. In a device ot the character described, the combination with al door opening, of a hinged door adapted to close said opening, and fastening means at the swinging edge of said door adapted :for wedging engagement with the side of the door opening to tightly seat said swinging edge of the door against said door opening, said hinge means including a socket member mounted on said door opening, means for adjusting said soc ret member relative to said door opening transversely of the axis of said socket, and a vertically disposed pin carried by said door and rotatably mounted in said socket.

8. A plurality of separate hinged closure means for an opening, arranged one beyond another and having a common hinge connection i'or adjacent closure means including pins projecting from said adjacent elosuremeans toward one another and a member supported on the frame of said opening between said pins and having sockets adapted to receive said pins, and means for adjusting said member relative to the iframe ol said opening and transversely of the axis of said hinge.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door opening, of a door adapted to close said opening, a step on said door forming a guide bearing, and a fastening bolt for said door slidable in said bearing and adapted to engage said door opening.

l0. A hinge for the closure means for an opening, comprising members rotatable re1- ative to one another, and having an abutment on one of said members cooperating with the other member so as to automaticallyr draw said closure means to its openinnr when said closure means is swung to closed position.

l1. A hinge for the closure means for an opening comprising a socket and a pin loosely rotatable in said socket, one of said members having an abutment adapted to engage 5 the other member when said closure means is swung to closed position, for transversely shifting the axis of said hinge so as to draw said closure means to its opening.

12. ln a device of the character described,

l0 the'combination With a door opening7 of a hinged door adapted to close said opening,

saidy hinge means comprising members rotatable relative to one another, and having an abutment on one of said members cooperating With the other member so as to automatically draw said door against the door opening as the door is swung to closed position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FREDOLIEN J. OBERER. 

